Cooking system

ABSTRACT

A cooking system includes a kitchen utensil and a cooking hob, wherein the kitchen utensil is provided with one or more sensors arranged on the kitchen utensil. The sensors include acceleration sensors, gyroscopic sensors, and inclination sensors. The cooking appliance is provided with a control unit configured to receive data from the sensors and to elaborate information on how the kitchen utensil is being used, and to control the cooking appliance accordingly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO FOREIGN PRIORITY APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(b) ofEuropean Patent Application No. EP 15197107.4 filed Nov. 30, 2015,entitled “Cooking System.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a cooking system including a kitchenutensil and a household electrical appliance, particularly a cookinghob, wherein the utensil has sensors that are arranged at the handle ofthe utensil.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A utensil having sensors in the handle is disclosed by DE102011080246.In that utensil, infrared sensors are arranged for determining theposition of the utensil on the hob by a plurality of fixed infraredbeacons provided on the cooking hob.

Other “intelligent” kitchen utensils are known in the art. Such knownutensils include lance-shaped thermometers that may be inserted intofoodstuff, such as meat and fish, both for pan cooking and forconvection ovens. Such lance thermometers come either in the form ofsimple electromechanical devices or electronic ones, and in some casesthey are equipped with wireless communication means with the appliancein order to perform an automatic regulation of the energy sources withthe object of reaching target temperatures.

Temperature probes of the type described in EP1239703B1 combinetemperature information with other physical parameters related to foodstate, such as conductivity, humidity, and vibration.

One drawback of such temperature probes is that they are not able todetermine the actual action being performed with the utensil itself,thus resulting in the inability to relate the sensed quantities to theuse scenario being performed by the user (i.e., the use context). Forinstance, the information returned by a temperature sensor has adifferent meaning if captured with the utensil being inserted stationaryinside a casserole versus the case when the utensil is being used tostir a risotto. Even if not manipulated (i.e., zero acceleration), theinformation read by the sensor is interpreted differently if the probeis dipped vertically inside a pot compared to inserted horizontallyinside a roast. In other words, the knowledge of the position,displacement, and acceleration is fundamental for the correctinterpretation of the sensor readings.

DE3119496 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,027B1 try to obviate those limitationsby adopting multiple temperature measuring points along the part of theprobe which is to be inserted into the food. Although the plurality oftemperature sensors mitigates the problem of detecting the very coretemperature of the food, they all have the drawback of being unable todetect the actual position of the probe with respect to the food,resulting in largely varying results caused by the degree of expertiseof the user or cook in correctly placing the probe. To partially obviateto that limitation, WO2012149997A1 proposes a method to assess probe tiporientation with respect to food surface, based on the relationshipamong the different temperatures monitored along the different measuringpoints positioned on the probe itself. However this temperature-baseddetermination of the probe inclination might be highly disturbed by foodanisotropy (i.e., non-uniformity) and spatial gradient in the heatapplication sources.

The activity of cooking food items with cooking hobs entails a highdegree of attention from the cook to manually regulate the burner'spower output in accordance to the recipe requirements. Such regulationgenerally occurs based on a cook's sensorial perception (visual,olfactory, texture), which is often weakly related with actual foodstate. Although professional and experienced cooks have developed greatskill in inferring the actual cooking state from the aforementionedsensorial inputs, average cooks often struggle with the correctinterpretation of such sensorial inputs, thus resulting in poorlyprepared meals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a user with a cookingsystem using a cooking utensil which is able to assist the cook in theprocess of determining the actual state of the food being cooked byrelying on multiple inputs simultaneously and, on the basis of themonitored physical states, adapting the cooking hob output to achieveand hold the desired food state.

More specifically, it is an object of the present disclosure, to providea cooking system in which the kitchen utensil used therein is not merelyable to sense known physical parameters, such as temperature orhumidity, or the position of the utensil and therefore of the cookingutensil, but also to determine the tool's use pattern over time. Suchobject is reached by virtue of the features listed in the appendedclaims.

According to one of the features of the claims, the kitchen utensilassociated with the household electrical appliance is provided with atleast a multi-axis accelerometer and/or gyroscope, with the aim ofassessing the context of use of the utensil itself. The kitchen utensilaccording to the present disclosure can determine and control the food'scooking state based on multiple physical quantities related to foodstate, such as temperature and food conductivity, and combining suchinformation with probe spatial position and acceleration along multipleaxes, in order to understand which action is being performed with theutensil, with the purpose of interpreting and conditionally processingthe sensed physical quantities accordingly. Kitchen utensils accordingto the present disclosure broaden the function and the utility of theintelligent kitchen utensils known up to now, helping the cook insignificantly improving the result of the performed cooking processes.

According to a further feature of the disclosure, the shape of thekitchen utensil according to the invention is such that it can be usedboth as a lance (to detect the core temperature of bulky pieces offoods) or as tongs (to measure surface temperature of thin food). In onepreferred embodiment, the kitchen utensil comes in the form of tongs ofthe kind normally used by cooks to flip food in the pan, equipped withtwo or more temperature sensors distributed along the tong arms, up tothe vicinity of its tips. In a further preferred embodiment, one of thearms of the tongs could be shaped in the form of a lance to enableinsertion into bulky foods.

Moreover, according to another embodiment, two or more electricallyconductive contacts might be placed in the vicinity of the tongs tips,to monitor food juiciness or water/salt content through the measurementof the impedance across any pairs of those contacts.

In another preferred embodiment, the data processing of the signalsobtained by the conductivity sensors signals are conditioned to thehandling condition identified through acceleration, inclination, and/orstrain information. For instance, the conductivity measurement is usedto determine food conductivity only whenever the tool inclination iswithin a given range, corresponding to the typical orientation beingassumed when a cook grabs the food with a tongs and is otherwisediscarded in any other orientation angles.

In another example of conditional processing, the conductivity stripswould be used to determine the starch concentration in the watercontained in a pot where potatoes or pasta are boiled. In thisparticular configuration, the kitchen utensil would be positioned in avertical position. Should the orientation of the probe deviate from thatparticular vertical position by +/−10° or more, and/or its accelerationalong any axis exceeds 0.1 m/s², the kitchen utensil be deemed to bemanipulated by the user and then no longer being steadily immersed intothe water bath. In such case, the monitoring of the conductivity must besuspended until the correct stationary, vertical orientation is achievedagain.

In all the aforementioned embodiments, in order to provide informationon the spatial orientation of the utensil as well as its trajectory inthe space, a multi-axial accelerometer/gyroscope/inclinometer isprovided within the tool, particularly within the handle thereof. Suchdevice is coupled with a transmitter that sends to the electroniccontrol unit of the household cooking appliance signals about rotational(inclination) and translational (position) movements of the tool in thespace. The mathematical processing of those signals allows thedetermination of the action being performed by the cook with the utensilitself (such as stirring, food flipping, food grabbing, or stationarypositioning of the utensil tips inside the pan, for instance, duringdeep frying or stewing).

Once the action performed on the food by the cook is determined throughthe accelerometer/gyroscope, the temperature/conductivity informationmay be processed with a much higher level of correlation with the foodactual state. For instance, during the initial heat-up phase of stirfrying, the kitchen utensil would be laid horizontally and steadily(acceleration <0.01 m/s²), with the tongs tip dipped into the oil film.In that case, the cooking process would be controlled through a closedloop control of the oil temperature, just relying on the temperaturesensor on the very tip of the probe, ignoring the other sensors.

Whenever the cook would use the kitchen utensil to stir the food, itsinclination and acceleration would deviate from the conditionspreviously indicated. In such conditions, should the closed looptemperature control be maintained with the same logic, it would resultin a sudden increase of cooking hob power, caused by the momentarilyexposure of the temperature sensors to the ambient air temperatureinstead of the hot oil. On the other hand, a tool according to thepresent disclosure would detect the momentary tool manipulation throughthe acceleration and/or inclination signals and then inhibit the powerincrease through a differentiated action, such as a holding the feedbacktemperature to the last value observed before the manipulation wasdetected or, alternatively, by holding the delivered power until theproper tool inclination and/or acceleration is achieved again.

Furthermore, the discrimination between stir frying and deep fryingcould be performed by detecting the utensil acceleration combined withthe difference between the temperature recorded by the sensor on thevery tip (which is surely fully immersed) and the other sensors, whichwould be immersed only in case of deep frying.

In the case of meat searing, the food generally needs to be flipped oneor more times, depending on food category. At the moment of foodflipping, the tongs arm that used to be in between the meat and the potwill turn 180° and face the air and vice versa. In order for thetemperature controller to keep working correctly, the feed must alwaysbe from the bottom temperature rather than the sensor in the air. Toensure this, the food flipping is detected by theaccelerometer/gyroscope through a sudden change of roll coordinate(≧150°) (as per spatial coordinate convention shown in FIG. 1). Based onsuch information, the control would switch between the two sensors usedfor temperature feedback. In addition, during food flipping, it isnormal that the temperatures recorded by the sensors overcome somefairly large spikes, due to momentary change of contact with the food.Thanks to the aforementioned detection of food flipping, it would bepossible to reject those temperature spikes and possibly inhibit theclosed loop control of the temperature until a stationary state isreached again.

In another preferred embodiment, the kitchen utensil is equipped with astrain sensor or an electrical contact to allow the determination of thetime when the utensil in the form of a tongs is used to grasp the food.Based on the information given by that sensor, the temperature readingscould be immediately associated with the surface temperature of thefood, whereas the same temperature readings are ignored by thetemperature controller whenever said strain and/or position and/oracceleration are indicating that the utensil is not actually in contactwith the food, but rather just being manipulated outside the cookingarea and/or far away from the foodstuff.

In another case where meat is seared or grilled, the kitchen utensilwould not be inserted into the food, but rather used as a tongs,periodically used to grab and flip the food. Once again, based onaccelerometer information, the very moment when the food is grabbedcould be inferred and then a spot measurement of the temperatures wouldbe triggered to detect surface temperature of the food. Moreover,impedance measurements could be triggered to detect surface browningthrough the ratio between surface impedance (measured across adjacentcontact on the same arm of the tongs) and bulk impedance (measuredacross contacts sitting on different arms of the tongs). The triggercondition for those impedance and/or temperature measurements would begiven by the simultaneous permanence of the kitchen utensil spatialcoordinates within predetermined ranges for more than a predeterminedtime.

In the particular case of a tongs form of the kitchen utensil accordingto the present disclosure, an additional force sensor could be employedin order to detect the act of clamping the food and/or an additionalangle sensor (preferably located in the tongs' hinge) could be used todetect food thickness.

It is evident that all the described measurements (temperature,impedance, humidity) would be hardly correlated with food state unlessinformation on the utensil use (i.e., information from the accelerometerand/or gyroscope) is available.

The kitchen utensil according to the invention could be advantageouslyused both to assist pan-cooking, as described, and to assist pot cookingby laying the utensil vertically across the pot's rim, thus having oneend of the tongs immersed in the cooking liquid and the other endexposed to the ambient. Because of the gyroscope information, theutensil could easily self-determine that it is used in this particularmode, by detecting a substantially vertical orientation and asubstantially stationary operation (zero acceleration along the verticalaxis). When used in such mode, the cooking liquid inside the pot couldbe regulated at a given temperature by controlling heating element poweroutput by using known closed loop regulation. The measurement of theconductivity across any couple of immersed electrical contacts may givean indication of the ionic content of the cooking liquid, which isdirectly associable with salt and starch concentration, which vary, suchas during the boiling of pasta or rice. Moreover, in case multipleelectrical contacts are placed along the length of the utensil, adetermination of the liquid level could be performed by detecting whichpairs of contacts are actually shorted by the liquid. The impedancemeasurement could be aimed at the determination of the resistive part ofthe impedance or, more advantageously, to the complex impedance, thusallowing the discrimination between galvanically conductive foodstuff(ionic solution) and poorly conductive ones (pure water or fat tissue).

The kitchen utensil according to the present disclosure is configured tocommunicate with the control unit of the cooking hob by means of eitheran electrical harness or, more advantageously, through known radiofrequency or optical wireless communication techniques.

Other known kind sensors could be advantageously added to the kitchenutensil according to the invention, with the aim of determining moreprecisely the state of the food. A non-exhaustive list of such sensorsincludes: chemical sensors (pH, electronic tongues), optical sensors(colorimeter, reflectometers), and strain sensors (strain gauges) todetect tongs compression state and food consistency/softness.

In another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the kitchenutensil interacts with a graphical “man-machine” interface adapted toshow the individual steps of recipes, informing the cook about theeffective actions to be performed and progressing through the recipesteps automatically. In other words, the user interface would presentbehavioral changes conditioned to the kitchen utensil use case, thusresulting in another form of conditional processing.

For instance, when the man-machine interface instructs the cook to turnthe food, the kitchen utensil would detect the actual gesture and, onceperformed by the user, would automatically progress into the next stepof the recipe. Alternatively, when the man-machine interface instructsthe cook to add broth to a risotto, the kitchen utensil would detect theactual pouring of liquid through a combination of conductivity andtemperature, both parameters being altered by the addition of thatingredient.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the kitchen utensilcomprises a handle, into which an electronic board is inserted. One ormore sensors carrying bars are connected to and protrude out of thehandle and are designed to contain the temperature and conductivitysensors. In order to ensure economical manufacture and long life, allthe electronic parts, including the accelerometer, gyroscope, andbattery, are located in the handle, which is designed with a clinchfeature to prevent it from slipping into a cooking pan or pot.

In another preferred embodiment, the battery is rechargeable through acontactless magnetic charger of known type. Independent of the type ofbattery used (rechargeable or non-rechargeable), the battery is designedto ensure, in conjunction with a low power electronic board, a life timeof several years without need of battery replacement. These provisionsallow the device to be fully sealed from the external environment sothat it can be washed either by hand or in a dishwasher.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the kitchenutensil is split into a handle, which carries the electronic module,electrically and mechanically connectable, in a releasable form, to aset of different tips, having the known forms of spoons, forks, tongs,or knives and carrying one or more of the aforementioned sensors (liketemperature, conductivity, humidity, pH, etc.).

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present disclosurewill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a kitchen utensil according to thepresent disclosure in the form of tongs, where spatial coordinates forrotational (inclination) and translational (position) are indicated;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the cooking system according to the presentdisclosure in which the kitchen utensil of FIG. 1 is used;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the utensil of the present disclosure ofFIG. 1 used in connection with a pot and with one arm immersed tocontrol water temperature;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another version of a kitchen utensilaccording to the present disclosure, in the form of a fork, which isconfigured to detect starch concentration through conductivity;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the utensil of FIG. 1 used in connectionwith a pan;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a user interface with recipe progressionindication based on detected gesture performed on the kitchen utensil ofthe present disclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another type of a fork-shaped kitchenutensil according to the present disclosure, in which the electronicunit is located in a removable handle;

FIG. 8 is a partial exploded view of the kitchen utensil of FIG. 7 wherea removable electronic unit is located in a sliding handle and sensorsare placed in the utensil tip;

FIGS. 9a-9d are cross-sectioned longitudinal views of another version ofa kitchen utensil according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a further version of kitchen utensils according to thepresent disclosure where a sensorized tip is detachably mounted on anelectronic board;

FIG. 11 shows accelerometer and gyroscope signals during a flippingmovement of the cooking utensil;

FIG. 12 shows accelerometer and gyroscope signals during a stirringmovement of the cooking utensil; and

FIG. 13 shows accelerometer and gyroscope signals during a whiskingmovement of the cooking utensil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

As referenced in the figures, the same reference numerals may be usedherein to refer to the same parameters and components or their similarmodifications and alternatives. For purposes of description herein, theterms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,”“horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the presentdisclosure as oriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood thatthe present disclosure may assume various alternative orientations,except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to beunderstood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in theattached drawings, and described in the following specification aresimply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in theappended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physicalcharacteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not tobe considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

With reference to the drawings, a kitchen utensil 10 shaped as a pair oftongs presents a sensor 12 capable of detecting acceleration and spatialposition of the kitchen utensil 10, with the term “spatial position”being the yaw, pitch, and roll angles (referred to as a fixed referenceposition). The sensor 12 comprises an accelerometer 12 a and a gyroscope12 b, which are both power supplied by a battery 14 (FIG. 2) and whichare connected to a microcomputer 16 and a wireless data transmitter 18.

With reference to FIG. 2, the cooking system S according to the presentdisclosure comprises, on one hand, the kitchen utensil 10 and, on theother hand, a cooking hob 20, which comprises a wireless data receiver22 and a control unit 24 configured to drive heating elements forheating cooking vessels placed on a cooking plate 26.

In addition to the accelerometer 12 a and the gyroscope 12 b, thekitchen utensil 10 comprises other sensors, for instance a strain gauge12 c placed preferably in a zone A, where the two pair of tongs areconnected, as well as impedances 12 d and temperature sensors 12 e,which are each placed in end zones B of the tongs, and which aredesigned to come into contact with food during the cooking process. Alsothese sensors 12 c, 12 d, and 12 e are connected to the microcomputer 16as well.

The control unit 24 of the cooking hob 20 receives signals from thekitchen utensil 10, and, particularly, signals from accelerometer 12 aand gyroscope 12 b, so that the control unit 24 can elaborate such dataand assess by analyzing the trend of these values versus time how thekitchen utensil 10 is either moved by the cook or how such kitchenutensil 10 is placed in a stationary configuration (vertical,horizontal, inclined). By elaborating such information, the control unit24 can correctly interpret the other values of further sensors 12 c, 12d, and 12 e, for instance, by disregarding such values when they do notfit with the current spatial configuration of the kitchen utensil 10.Moreover, the control unit 24 drives the heating elements of the cookinghob 20 according to the way in which the cook manipulates and places thekitchen utensil 10. Data received from the accelerometer 12 a and/or thegyroscope 12 b, or any other inclination sensor, are preferablyprocessed by the control unit 24 through known statistical and spectrumanalysis techniques (as shown in FIG. 12).

According to the present invention, in steady state condition, thespatial orientation of the cooking utensil 10 can be easily obtainedfrom only the accelerometer signals according to the followingrelationships:

${{Pitch} = {\alpha = {{atan2}\left( \frac{A_{x}}{\sqrt{A_{y}^{2} + A_{z}^{2}}} \right)}}};$${{Roll} = {\beta = {{{atan}2}\left( \frac{A_{y}}{\sqrt{A_{x}^{2} + A_{z}^{2}}} \right)}}};$${Yaw} = {\gamma = {{atan2}\left( \frac{A_{z}}{\sqrt{A_{x}^{2} + A_{y}^{2}}} \right)}}$

wherein:

Pitch (α) is the angle between the X-axis of the Micro ElectroMechanical System (MEMS in the following) device, which is themechanical construction comprising the accelerometer and the gyroscopesensors, and horizontal plane;

Roll (β) is the angle between MEMS Y-axis and the horizontal plane, and

Yaw (γ) is the angle between MEMS Z-axis and the horizontal plane.

Ax, Ay, and Az are the accelerometer signals, which in steady statecondition represent components of the earth gravity vector on the threeaxes of the kitchen utensil 10.

The Applicant has discovered that accelerometer and/or gyroscope sensorscan be used to identify and recognize any kind of movement of thekitchen utensil 10. Moreover, the Applicant has surprisingly discoveredthat signals sampled from the sensors during certain movements of thekitchen utensil 10 in some specific cooking preparations aresubstantially independent on the cook involved in the same preparations.

On the other hand, the Applicant has also measured that for somespecific cooking preparations, the data pattern from the sensor(s) issubstantially stable among repeated recipes. This allows identifying aspecific footprint associated with each cooking preparation.Repeatability of the results also makes an assessment of a cook'sbehavior much easier.

As a non-limitative example, accelerometer and gyroscope signals areused to identify any kind of movement of the kitchen utensil 10, asdescribed in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13, in connection with stirring,whisking, and flipping actions performed by the cook with the kitchenutensil 10 during food preparation.

As can be seen from FIG. 11, a flipping gesture is characterized by awide half wave signal on the X-axis gyroscope signal, during which theZ-axis accelerometer signal changes sign due to gravity. Furthermore,the integral of the X-axis gyroscope signal over the gesture durationmust be equal to π radians, because the total rotation performed by theutensil is equal to 180°.

Thus, a possible method for detecting a flipping action can be: if theZ-axis accelerometer signal decreases in absolute value while otheraccelerometer signals are approximately at zero, the system starts tointegrate the X-axis gyroscope signal until it becomes approximatelyequal to π radians, which identify the flipping gesture. In the casethat the calculated integral is less or greater than π, it is possibleto conclude that the gesture was not a complete flip.

In case of stirring and whisking gestures, the recognition of suchgestures can be obtained by processing the accelerometer and gyroscopesignals with a known Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm.

In both cases, accelerometer and gyroscope signals result in sinusoidalsignals on a certain axis. The processing of these signals with an FFTalgorithm reveals that the fundamental frequency of the signal exactlycorresponds to the number of turns per second of the kitchen utensil 10.

The two gestures can be discriminated not only by the frequency ofrotation (higher in case of whisking with respect to stirring), but alsoby monitoring the rotation axis. In the case of stirring, the FFTanalysis shows significant signal components of the accelerometer onlyon Y-axis and Z-axis, and significant signal components on all threeaxes of the gyroscope. In the case of whisking, due to differentdisposition of the kitchen utensil 10, significant signal components canbe detected only on X-axis and Y-axis of accelerometer and on Y-axis andZ-axis of the gyroscope.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 upon the detection of the verticalposition of the kitchen utensil 10 from data received from the gyroscope12 b, the control unit 24 can then attribute the values of thetemperature sensor 12 e placed on one tip B of the tongs to the actualtemperature of the content of the pan P.

In a similar way, the kitchen utensil 10 shown in FIG. 4 provides to thecontrol unit data from at least an impedance sensor 12 d in order toassess starch or salt concentration in the cooking vessel Q. Also, thealmost horizontal configuration of the kitchen utensil 10 shown in FIG.5 can be detected by means of the gyroscope 12 b and signals from othersensors are interpreted accordingly.

According to FIG. 6, the cooking hob 20 is also provided with a userinterface 30, which can inform the cook, in an interactive way and onthe basis of data received from the acceleration and spatial positionsensors 12 a, 12 b, as to the proper act to be performed in the cookingprocess (for instance, in a grilling process, the user interface 30 caninform the cook of the need to flip the food).

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, a kitchen utensil 110 in the form of afork is shown, which is made of two parts 110 a and 110 b, which can beassembled together. The part 110 a carries the temperature and impedancesensors 12 e and 12 d and having longitudinal rails 112 which cooperatewith corresponding longitudinal grooves 114 provided in the second part110 b, which is also the handle of the kitchen utensil 110. Such handle110 b has a cover 116 for the battery 14 and electrical contacts 118 forelectrical connection of sensors 12 d and 12 e. The fork part 110 a ofthe kitchen utensil 110 is also provided with a notch 120 for supportingthe kitchen utensil 110 on the sidewall of a pot P or similar cookingvessel. The solution shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 has the advantage ofrequiring only one “handle” 110 b with the electronics that can becoupled with different parts configured to be in contact with the foodand having different shapes.

FIGS. 9a to 9d show a similar kitchen utensil 210 where, incorrespondence with the handle thereof, the kitchen utensil 120 isprovided with a concave seat 212 for placing a cartridge 214 containingthe electronic unit carrying the accelerometer 12 a, the gyroscope 12 b,the battery 14, the microcomputer 16, and the radio transmitter 18. Acartridge 214 is provided with an unlock sliding button 216 which isoperated by the cook in order to unlock the cartridge 214 from the seat212 (sequence indicated in FIGS. 9b to 9c ). The cartridge 214 is alsoprovided with a flat spring 218, which urges the cartridge 214 out ofits seat 212 once the cook activates the sliding button 216. Forelectrically connecting the electronic unit to the sensors on the tip ofthe kitchen utensil 210, the seat 212 is provided with electricalcontacts 220 configured to cooperate with corresponding contacts of thecartridge 214 in order to assure electrical connection from sensorsprovided on the tip of the kitchen utensil 210 to the electronic unit bymeans of wires 220, which are preferably insulated with Kapton.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 refers to a kitchen utensil 310 having asoft touch body 312 in different forms (a pair of tongs and a spoon areshown in FIG. 10) into which an “intelligent” part 314 is inserted. Suchpart 314 contains a printed circuit board 316, a battery 14, and theaccelerometer 12 a and gyroscope 12 b as well. The fact that the body312 is made of soft polymeric material has the advantage of assuringinsulation of the sensors 12 d and 12 e placed on the tip of the tongsor spoon. Moreover, between the part 314 and the soft touch body 312, alight source 318 in the form of a ring is interposed which can informthe cook when the kitchen utensil 310 is transmitting data to thecontrol unit 24 of the cooking hob 20.

Even if the cooking system according to the invention has been disclosedwith reference to an electric or electronic cooking hob 20 (forinstance, an induction cooking hob), nevertheless it can also be also inconnection with a gas cooking hob where the heating power is adjustedelectronically by means of valves.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the present disclosure and other components is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of itsforms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining oftwo components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removableor releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

For purposes of this disclosure, the terms “operably coupled” and“operably connected” generally mean that one component functions withrespect to another component, even if there are other components locatedbetween the first and second component, and the term “operable” definesa functional relationship between components.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the present disclosure as shown in the exemplaryembodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of thepresent innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure,those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readilyappreciate that, unless otherwise described, many modifications arepossible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes, andproportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mountingarrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of thesubject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formedmay be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple partsmay be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may bereversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structuresand/or members or connector or other elements of the system may bevaried, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided betweenthe elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/orassemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide varietyof materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of awide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, allsuch modifications are intended to be included within the scope of thepresent innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, andomissions may be made in the design, operating positions, andarrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps withindescribed processes may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can bemade on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing fromthe concepts of the present invention, and further it is to beunderstood that such concepts are intended to be covered by thefollowing claims unless these claims by their language expressly stateotherwise.

1.-13. (canceled)
 14. A cooking system including a kitchen utensil and ahousehold electrical cooking appliance, particularly a cooking hob, suchkitchen utensil having sensors that are arranged on the kitchen utensil,wherein the sensors generate information and are selected from the groupconsisting of an acceleration sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, aninclination sensor, or a combination thereof, the cooking appliancebeing provided with a control unit configured to receive data from thesensors in order to elaborate the information to access how the kitchenutensil is used and to control the cooking appliance in responsethereto.
 15. The cooking system according to claim 14, wherein thekitchen utensil has a handle and an end opposite the handle upon which atemperature sensor or an electrical impedance sensor are disposed. 16.The cooking system according to claim 15, wherein the control unit isconfigured to process data from the temperature sensor or the impedancesensor conditional upon data received from the acceleration sensor, thegyroscopic sensor, or the inclination sensor.
 17. The cooking systemaccording to claim 14, wherein the kitchen utensil is in the form oftongs and comprises a strain gauge sensor in a zone of the kitchenutensil opposite a pair of free ends of the tongs.
 18. The cookingsystem according to claim 14, wherein the cooking appliance comprises auser interface configured to provide instructions to the user on thebasis of information derived from data captured by the accelerationsensor, the gyroscopic sensor, or the inclination sensor.
 19. Thecooking system according to claim 14, wherein the kitchen utensilcomprises a handle portion detachable from a remaining portion of thekitchen utensil.
 20. The cooking system according to claim 19, whereinthe handle portion is configured to be attached to different ends of thekitchen utensil configured as, for instance, a spoon, a ladle, a pair oftongs, or a needle.
 21. The cooking system according to claim 14,wherein the kitchen utensil comprises a handle with a concave seat forreceiving a removable cartridge carrying the acceleration sensor, thegyroscopic sensor, or the inclination sensor.
 22. A method ofcontrolling a household electrical cooking appliance, particularly acooking hob, comprising the use of a kitchen utensil having sensors,wherein the method comprising the steps of: collecting data from asensor selected from the group consisting of an acceleration sensor, agyroscopic sensor, an inclination sensor, or a combination thereof;communicating such data to a control unit of the cooking appliance; andelaborating such data in order to assess how the utensil is used by theuser.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step ofelaborating such data in order to assess how the kitchen utensil is usedby the user comprises the step of recognizing the position and/ormovement of the kitchen utensil.
 24. The method according to claim 22,further comprising the step of controlling the cooking appliance on thebasis of such elaboration of data.
 25. The method according to claim 22,further comprising the step of assisting the user by providinginstructions though a graphical user interface, wherein actions aresuggested to the user on the basis of the above elaboration of data toassist the user in the execution of a multistep recipe.
 26. The methodaccording to claim 25, further comprising the steps of: measuring thetemperature through the kitchen utensil; and further associating thetemperature to the detected position and/or movement of the cookingutensil.